Proceedings of the 30th Annual Conference of the Forestry Association of Nigeria held in Kaduna, Kaduna State,.Nigeria.'

07-11 November, 2005

Edited by L. Popoola P. Mfon P.l. Oni

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HARNESSING FORESTRY POTENTIALS IN ACTUALIZING NATIONAL ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT DEVELOPMENT

STRATEGY‘ By

Ajewofeto.I1, Labode Popoola2, A.A.Aiyeloja2, and O.G.E V • N Arowosoge1 •' - V *. »

'Department<#F6restiy;Wildlife and Fisheffes.tJniveraty of A ^Ekiti, Nigeria A j

departm ent of Forest Resources Management, University of Ibadhn. ^ '• Nigeria. ’ " . > :

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A bstractNational Economic Empowerment Development Strategy (NEEDS) is a development plan that integrates economic development efforts at the Federal, State and Local Government levels. Its vision, values and principles are encapsulated by four goals: Wealth creation; Employment generation; Poverty reduction, and Value reorientation, with the “modus-operandi” for achieving these goals being anchored on three main strategies; viz; empowering people, promoting private enterprises and changing the way government does its work.The Nigerian forestry sector which has the responsibility to sustainably develop and manage about 25 /o of Nigerian land mass, to meet the diverse needs of the teeming urban and rural population; no doubt has a salient role to play in achieving the goal of NEEDS. Some of these roles include provision of comprehensive databases, promotion of forest based small scale enterprises, crafting institutional framework for boosting wood production and biodiversity conservation, restructuring the forestry- industrial sector, establishment of ministry of renewable natural resources and crafting institutional framework for sustainable urban forestry development.Collaborative efforts of FDF, FAN and other stakeholders to garner political support and networking for effective advocacy, are essential for forestry optimal contribution to NEEDS.

IntroductionCurrent challenges for economic change f\nd vigorous remarkable economic growth to meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of reducing by halve the number o f people who are food insecure and living in extreme poverty by thpyear 2015, compelled the Federal Government ofNigeria to institute a reform

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programme tagged "N ational Econom ic Empowerment Developm ent Strategy”(NEEI >S). According to National Planning Commission (2004),NEEDS is a development plan that integrates economic development efforts at the Federal, State and Local ( jovcrninent levels It does not coniine itself to specific sector or limit itself to addressing only the major challenges identified. Instead, it looks at the big picture, examining how the challenges identified in each sector affect one another. NEEDS seeks to consider “inter alia” the critical importance of improving infrastructure, more and more reliable electricity and a new and better maintained network of roads. NEEDS also aims at giving special supportffo agriculture, industry, small and medium scale enterprises and oil and gas: Under the plan, the government will seek long term capital for investment. NEEDS also envisages forging stronger links between educational institutions and industry to stimulate rapid industrial growth and efficient exploitation of resources.The vision, values and principles o f NEEDS are encapsulated by four goals: Wealth creation; Employment generation; Poverty reduction; and Value reorientation. The “modus-operandi” for achieving these goals is anchored on three main strategies; viz;(i) Empowering people which encompasses jobs creation, creating affordable housing, improving health care services, strengthening the skill base, protecting^ the vulnerable and promoting peace and security;(ii) Promoting private enterprises which consists of improving infrastructure, promoting industiy, improving agriculture and promoting other sectors,(iii) Changing the way the government does its work.The Nigerian forestry sector which has the responsibility to sustainably develop and manage about 25% of Nigerian land mass (which is made up of 15% forests and 10% other wooded land) (FAO 2003), to meet the diverse social, (dietary, medicinal, cultural, and recreational), economic (income and employment) and environmental (sustenance o f ecological life-supporting processes) needs o f the teeming urban and rural population; produces over 100 million cubic metre of wood annually; contribute between 1.3% and 3% of GDP as well as major proportions of domestic energy, food and medicinal supply which are not fully reflected in formal national statistics; generated an export earning of US$33.4 million earnings in 1999 (FAO 2004); no doubt has a salient role to play in achieving the goal of NEEDS. It is therefore, very crucial to critically examine the ways by which the forestry sector can optimally contribute to achieving the goals of NEEDS. ,

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d J n K E R J a .AND C H A L LE N G E S ° F r o ^ S T R Y D E V E LO PM E N TNigeria's natural vegetation is broadly divided into four main zones running across he coantry from south to north. These are: lowland rain forest, guinea savannah

Sudan savannah, and sahel savannah. In addition, there are also small areas o f monjane fores, in the centre o f the country and mangrove coastline. A ccording to I AO (2003), N igeria 's land area is about 91 million lec ares out Of which about 14 million hectares are forests. This implies that

S T T Z Z K Z ? * ,5% o f the “ “rea (* ' le ™

Forest administration in Nigeria started in I887,andby I970about 10%oftota!

' nq J ta lad. b6fen COnSt" Uted as forest '•eserves. The National Forest Policy (1988) provides for an increase o f this figure to 20% . Nigeria has 693000 ha o f Forest plantations and the highest rates o f deforestation in Africa at ' 6% per annum. Nigeria is gradually becoming a wood-deficient countrv because~of urban and rural population pressure, which has greatly increased the demand for wood and wood products. The wood deficit situation is w orsened bv livestock arazina ,oi ems'on, drought and desertification as well as grow ing demand for cropland

threat ( £ < £ 2 0 0 4 ) ^ ^ f° reSt CState o f NiSeria ^ great

m e f e t a n ^ 0O an Si r rSeSt T * W,‘th 30 annuaI hai'vest estim ated atmere than 100 million cubic meters, even though the vast m ajority o f thisproduction is burnt as fuel. The industrial forestry sector is relatively lar-e comprising about 1300 sawmills, 10 ply mills, 3 paper mills, 8 safety match factories and 4 particle board mills. The sector w hose products are almost- exclusively for local consumption is producing betw een 30 and 40% o f installed Capua,y. 1 to rale o f recovery in the saw m illiug sector is lower than 4 0 % ^ v because ot the use o fo ld and obsolete m achines w hich were hitherto meant for conversion o f large diameter logs. 1 fo '

The mandiuc for forestry in Nigeria is currently domiciled in the Federal Ministry o f Environment. Forestry sector has about 510 professionals and more than

000 personnel m the technical and sub technical cadre. At the federal level the Forestry I myenrch Institute o f Nigeria (FRIN) has the mandate for research in all aspect ol forestry, wildlife and forest product utilization. Furthermore the Nationnl I iik rervice (NFS) is responsible for the management o f national P'ulci, which uni not delegated to the states (FAO, 2004)

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Different aspects o f sustainable management, exploitation and renewal o f the national forests and plantations as well as utilization, marketing and increasing demand for forest produce continue to pose sci ion:; challenges to forestry developm ent in N igeria. These challenges are com pounded by several other problems, ranging from shrinking forest esta te through dereservation and deforestation, to declining yield, poor forest m anagem ent, resulting from institutional and technical constraints, as well as poor public attitude. Som e o f these problems are examined briefly below;

1. Increasing Demand for Forest Produce:Increasing population growth in N igeria som ehow has a paradoxical effect on forestry. Population increase which usually brings about urban expansion and increasing demand for land for food production and infrastructural developm ent eventually cu lm inate in d rastic reduction o f land availab le for fo restry development. At the same time, the teem ing population looks on to forestry to meet their increasingly diverse and several needs from the dw indling forest resources. Bada, (1996) argued that the federal governm ent ban on export o f wood in round form in 1976 w as not ju s t to forestall the em erging shortage o f tim ber and other forest products, but also to m eet the increasing demands for diversified forest goods and services. There is therefore a challenge on torest management to develop an intensive and m ultiple land use systems such as agroforestry and urban forestry, and to take over m arginal lands in good time, in order to meet the demand for the several and diverse dem ands o f the population from the forest.

2. Inefficient Wood ConversionOne o f the greatest problems o f forest exploitation and utilization in N igeria is that o f tim ber harvesting and conversion. Bada (1996) observed that the practice o f timber high grading makes the wood volum e o f any felled tree removed from the forest to be not more than 60%. Furtherm ore, utilization inefficiency also abounds in sawmills and wood processing establishm ents, where avoidable waste in form o f slabs, off-cuts and sawdust made up about 40% o f w ood input volume. .According to FAO (2004), the forestry industrial sector is producing betw een 30% and 40% o f installed capacity, w hile the rate o f recovery in savvmilling sector is lower than 40%, partly because o f the use o fo ld and obsolete machines which w ere hitherto meant for conversion o f large diam eter logs. Apparently, sawmill ow ners are unable to replace their obsolete m achines for more efficient ones because o f economic constraints

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3. Low Private Investment in Plantation Development-Pr'vae investments in forestry has been at an all time low ebb partly beeanse o f ack of macroeconomic policy incentives snch as tax relief, low interest on lone

term loan, etc, as we I as facilitation ofacqnisition o f land. Other reasons include"P,nce o f wood pnrticularly in the domestic market, and

long gestation period forthe trees to attain maturity orrotational age. Plantation f espy ,S a sal,e„ development intervention that can bring immense benefits” the economies o f the developing countries. These benefits include-a. Resource creation, rather than solely exploiting to meet the demand for wood

and wood products.

Development o f flexible resource base such as village woodlot, large scale industrial plantations, or smaller plantations, able to yield many kinds and

0 fNTrpPr°f “C,S,Sl1 l d ' " ° od; sawn timber- veneer logs and all manners ot NTFPs for internal demand or for export or bothBetter use/conversion o f marginal lands that are o f little o r no agricultural

Creation o f employment, particularly in the adjoining areas o f location

orUhe job"7 Sk' llS C° mm° n ‘n aSricu,ture with little additional training

Development o f infrastructures Such as roads, communication services houses shops, schools, etc, often to remote areas. This is often the case when the plantation is extensive. ’

O p ta a i land use because o f the possibility o f integrating tree planting with 0 her land-uses, both for improved and diversified production o f goods and also for environmental consideration.

4. Inadequate Data Base:

One of the problems confronting sustainable forest resources development in i igeria is the lack o f adequate data on the various aspects o f forestry, on which to base planning for sustainable development. Good planning daYa is a ore requisite for any sustainable forest management project. For instance, an invented data based on improper or inadequate sampling due to inaccessibility or collected

beTelf-Ib o ' ““ ^ eqmpment as a result o f o f resources can not

h.

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FO R E ST R Y AND NEEDSSince NEEDS aims at: giving special support to development o f industry and small and medium scale enterprises; seeking for longterm capital for investment;

.and forging stronger links between educational institutions and industry to stimulate E 'rapid industrial growth and efficient exploitation of resources, then forestry has

sample potentials and major roles to contribute to the actualisation of N EED S’■ goals o f poverty reduction, wealth creation, employment generation and value

- T Y seorientation as well as in the im plem entation o f N E E D S’ strategies o f ►/empowering people and promoting private enterprise. In this regard, two issues

are germane for forestry to optimally contribute to the actualization ofN E E D S’ goals and strategies. The first thing is for NEEDS to identify development interventions that will provide solutions to the challenges o f forestry development in Nigeria, while the second step will be to identify how forestry can be used in providing solutions to challenges of development in other sectors of the economy. Subsequently the following issues are very essential and require serious and urgent considerations if forestry will contribute maximally to the NEEDS’ goals o f poverty reduction, wealth creation, employm ent generation and value reorientation.

1. P ro v isio n o f C om prehensive D atabasesDatabases (numerical, cartographic and bibliographic) that group together all available knowledge about climate, soil, topography, flora fauna, information about the productivity or growth of valued species and their long term yield, prospect for the use o f lesser known species, contribution o f forest resources to GDP, and dynamics o f demand, supply and prices o f various forest goods in the international and local markets need be established. Without prejudice to the past efforts by the Federal Government of N igeria to carry out forest inventory, and the existence o f agencies like Federal Office o f Statistics, there is a greai need for the establishment o f an agency that will be given the responsibility o f establishing and maintaining such databases. The responsibility of collecting the data for this project can be given to universities, wherein different universities will be given the responsibility of collecting an aspect o f the data. The advantage o f this will be in two folds forthe universities: an opportunity to acquire modern equipment which can also be used for teaching and practical demonstratioi for the students; as well as opportunities for good practical training forthe stuo ihn as they participate in data collection.

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2 . P ro m o tio n o f F o res t Cased Sm all Scale E nterprises:Poi torest m anagem ent to have a desired effect in the im plem entation o f 'N EED S', there will have to be a diversification o f forest resources development into torest based small scale enterprises. These enterprises include manufacture of cane products, apiculture (bee-keeping), sericulture (production o f silkworm), production o f bushmeat (snails, grasscutters etc), and production o f some NTFPs (charcoal, spices gum Arabic, etc) am ong others. Most o f these are cottage enterprises, have shorter production cycle.and most often make use o f an already existing to rest w ith little o r no m odification to m anagem ent requirements and thus do not require huge financial outlay, compared with plantation establishment.Achieving this requires institutional restructuring for effective funding o f forest resources development. Therefore, there is a need for the establishment o f a departm ent o f natural (forest) resources developm ent, particularly in the development financial institutions such as Nigerian Agricultural and Rural Development Bank and other arrangem ents which have to do with financing o f "'ricultural development. This departm ent will be specifically mandated to fund the development o f forest based small scale enterprises.

3. C rafting Ins titu tiona l F ra m e w o rk fo r Boosting Wood P roduc tion and B iodiversity C on se rv a tio n :According to FAO (2004), N igeria; A frica 's largest wood producer, with an annual harvest estimated at more than 100 million cubic metres, has one o f the highest (2%) deforestation in Africa. This situation calls for putting necessary- institutional fi amework on the ground to increase wood production and conserve biodiversity in the face of increasing demand for forests (deforestation) to m eet land use requirements in other sectors, and pressure on the residual forests to continue to meet the needs o f the population. Therefore, the development o f Trees Outside forests (TOP) which encompasses agroforestry and urban forestry becomes very imperative. To achieve this, there is a need for the establishment o f institutions and nurseries at state and local governm ent levels, which will be providing free care training and seedlings, particularly those o f indigenous hardwoods to the public. This should be backed up by aggressive media campaign to raise the awareness o f the public on the availability o f the facilities and the need for the people to participate in such project.

4. R estruc tu ring thp F o re s try - In d u s tr ia l SectorThis sector according to I AO (2004) is producing between 30 and 40 percent of installed capacity, with the rate o f recovery in the sawmilling sector being

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lower than 40 percent, partly because o f the use o f old and obsolete machine which were hitherto meant for conversion o f large-diameter logs. Most sawmill owners arc unable to replace their machines. Small quantities o f sawn tim ber are exported, with forest product exports in 1999 being put at US$a3 .4 mill toil, while imports were US$172.3 million (m ainly paper and paperboard, but also saw nwood). The situation above calls for urgent steps to stem down the unsustainable management o f this sector. There is a need for investm ent in this sector so that higher percentage o f installed capacity can be achieved. Especially investments in paper and paperboard as well as in modern m achines that can work on small diameter logs are very imperative. This will help the country to reduce the trade in-balance, and consequently the capital flight. . Since m ost sawmill ow ners are low scale, community based entrepreneurs, there is a need for government to facilitate a funding mechanism such as specialized cooperative, that will enable the sawmill owners to come together and benefit from the Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) loan facilities.

5. E s tab lish m en t of M in istry o f R enew ab le N a tu ra l R esources:The sheer number and multiple-use nature o f forest resources have put the administration o f forest resources to be subsumed under one sector or the other. As a departm ent in the ministry o f agriculture, forest m anagem ent was being largelv perceived from production (mostly exploitation o f tim ber) point o f view, and now its being moved to ministry o f env ironm ent tends to underm ine the production aspect o f it. The h itherto in stitu tional arrangem ent for fo iest adm inistration has jeopardised sustainable forest resources developm ent in Nigeria. Therefore, there is a need for the establishm ent o f M inistry o f Renewable N atural Resources Development and C onservation w hich will take care o f all aspects o f production and preservation of forest, w ildlife and Fisheries resources. Only then w ill our natural resources co n trib u te op tim ally to sustainab le

development.

6. C ra ftin g In s titu tiona l F ra m e w o rk fo r S u s ta in a b le U rb a n F o res try D ev e lo p m e n tAt 5.3%, the rate o f urbanisation in N igeria is am ong the highest in the world. Since m anufacturing is stagnant, there are few jo b s for the grow ing urban population and the urban unemployment is currently estim ated at 10.8% (National Planning Comm ission; 2004). Aside rising unem ploym ent w ith its concomitant consequences, urbanisation also carries along with it increasing demand for basic needs such as fuelwood. low cost construction m aterials, drinking water and

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water for household use (Carter 1994). These are in addition to huge and growing social and environmental problems such as air, land and noise pollution; non- conducive local microclimatic conditions; and a stressful social and liviim environment, result mg from inadequate, d ilap idated , and overstretched infrastructure, degraded urban physiognomy, increasing levels o f unemployment, crime, insecurity and other social vices inherent in many urban areas o f the world (Ajewole, 2005).Urban forestry offers a variety o f benefits capable o f mitigating these problems. These benefits include; providing the urban dweller, (especially the urban poor) with some essential forest produce, mitigation o f the ecological effects o f urban sprawl, improving the living environment in urban areas, attraction o f tourism, provision of a \e im c for recreation and so litude fo r spiritual ac tiv itie s’ encouragement o f investment, as well as creation o f training and employment opportunities. Urban forest changes the mood o f the urban landscape and makes it a place where beauty and grace become public values. It can also serve as a } means of educating and improving social behaviour among the lower classes,. % and providing a peaceful outlet for the tensions o f working class life. T h e r e f o i i^ 'o introducing trees into built-up areas fulfils varied environmental, social ■ind* / v economic functions as well as satisfies an innate human urge to be with •Sis.' A natural partners. Hence, nurturing o f greenery could be equated with thfe -%■ ,provisions of essential urban infrastructures (Ajewole, op-cit). \ >'The foregoing benefits no doubt requires that necessary institutional framework needs to be put in place for urban forestry development to be incorporated into the physical and social fabrics o f our urban landscape planning, so that our cities and towns can be better places to work and live in. Multi purpose urban forestry development can be used as a development intervention to create employment, improve income earnings, supplement food and medical needs, reduce poverty’ conserve biodiversity, achieve value reorientation and consequently improve the overall socio-economic wellbeing oftheN igerian public. Therefore, sustainable urban forestry development is a major potential forestry strategy critical for the actualisation of the current National Economic and Empowerment Development Strategy (NEEDS) of the country.

Conclusionforestry and N il I >S < an have a very profitable symbiotic relationship if the opportunities pre,mill'd by 11 u- I wo ate well articulated and harnessed, wherein NEEDS will provide ilir inMiliilioiml vi/ |x>liey, administrative, legal, informational614 30th Annual Conference

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and funding- frameworks and empowerment for forestry to achieve its mandated goal of providing for all manners o f human needs in a sustainable manner. If this is achieved forestry as a sector will have aided NEEDS to achieve its goals by providing opportunities to create wealth, generate employment, reduce poverty and reorientate values, while forestry in turn will have succeeded in turning over most o f its challenges towards the journey of sustainable development.For forestry to avail itself the opportunities thatNEEDS presents, it will have to identify and harness very strong political support and networking, which must be transformed to a loud and efficient advocacy. With due recognition to the laudable efforts o f the Federal Department of Forestry (FDF) and the Forestry Association ofNigeria (FAN) (the apex forestry professional body in the country) in forestry development in Nigeria, FAN still has a very prominent role to play in facilitating the approval o f the reviewed National Forest Policy (NFP) without further delay. This reviewed NFP which is a major paradigm shift to enhance the contribution o f forests in Nigeria to poverty alleviations, environmental protection, sustainable wood production (Oyebo, 2004), protecting the vulnerable and promoting peace and security, also proposes some concrete development interventions that are geared towards achieving N EE D S’ goals. FAN will also need to pursue vigorously the other aforementioned suggested ways which forestry can contribute to achieving NEEDS’ goals. No doubt some o f these are long term development issues that will require fundamental institutional changes, time and resilience on the part o f FAN, yet it will be a worthwhile venture and of great value both for sustainable forestry development in N igeria and posterity.

R e fe ren cesAjewole, O.I. (2005); Social and Institutional Determinants of Sustainable Urban

Forestry D evelopment in Lagos. An U npublished PhD Thesis in the Department o f Forest Resources Management, University o f Ibadan

FAO (2003): State o f the World’s Forests. P 132

FAO (2004); w w w .fao.orgNational Planning Commission (2004): Meeting Everyone’s NEEDS: National

Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy. 47pp

Oyebo, M.A. (2004): Implication of the Socio-economic Reform on Nigerian Forestry and Foresters. An Invitation Paper for National FANCONSULT Workshop in Collaboration with the Afforestation Programme Coordinating Unit, Kano, held in Kano, Kano State.

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